Luna Moth
by Mr. Ree and Mr. Meenor
Summary: After being held back a year, Lenalee Lee is about to give up her dreams of becoming a motorcyclist, when 'The Black Order', a biker gang focused on getting people off the streets, gives her back her wings and lets her fly. But will she crash and burn? AU
1. Prologue

I really need to stop having many ideas on the weekends. It gets me into trouble. Hello! Mr. Ree (and Mr. Meenor in the background) here, and welcome to 'Luna Moth'! This is a Lenalee-based fanfic, mostly because I decided, 'Hey, what the hell, let's give it a shot!', it is AU, might contain romance, please give it a chance, and it may consist awesomeness of epic proportions (doubtful). So! Let us commence forthwith with 'Luna Moth'!

Disclaimer: D. Gray-Man is property of Katsura Hoshino and Funimation. This series is a parody and nothing more, so please support the official release. Got it? Damn well better.

~O~

1. Prologue

_I can't remember what I was doing. _Her fingers twitched lightly by her side, staring up at the rain clouds and smog intertwining from excess gas emissions, shone by the lights of a nearby car lot. She inhaled a little, tasting the ozone in her throat, before coughing once again. This time, she felt blood clogging in her throat, along with a deeper pain in her chest. One of her ribs probably broke. _Oh right, I remember now. I was dying. That's what I was doing._

The alleyway she wound up in was cleaner than most. She could make out a figure sleeping in the corner with a bottle by his side, hiccupping once or twice. A yellow recycling bin that vaguely reminded her of the cover of her Trigonometry book was filled to the brim of glass and plastic bottles, a ginger ale bottle slowly slipping off the top and towards the ground. She would kill for a taste of a liquid, any liquid, to distract her from the blood building in her throat and lungs. She never imagined being in a position like this before, facing Death with a less-than-stellar mood, but it did, at the very least, kill the monotonous lifestyle she previously lived.

She chuckled a little before glancing over to her right, seeing a motorcycle totaled. The back wheel spun slightly as a small breeze blew through the small enclosure. She thought she would make it to her destination, no problem, but she was so wrong. Riding a motorcycle was nothing like riding a bicycle, and she learned that the hard way.

Her cell phone in her jeans pocket vibrated twice, indicating she got one new text message, but her hands refused to move from her sides. She was waiting patiently, waiting for either a bright light or something darker to consume her, because no one was coming to her rescue now. She was the one going to do the rescuing— getting her brother some emergency coffee because of an unexpected late-night shift —but oh, how the tables turned. Next time, she would listen to her head and take the bicycle.

_Next time. _She nearly laughed, but her chest hurt too much. Her consciousness was assuming that she would live from this. It was late at night, no one was around except for the sleeping homeless person, and she still believed that she would make it out alive. She was assuming that she would wake up early tomorrow morning, go to school, present her speech for Advanced Placement Literature and Composition, take that Honors Biology test, and even put up with her teacher while taking down notes for Political Science.

The phone vibrated again, and she weakly forced herself to at least dig it out of her pocket, flipping the device open to read the faint message: "Thank u Lenalee -heart-".

_Komui… _She began to cry, even though she told herself not to cry for the past ten minutes. Death loved the crying ones; she knew that well from every story and poem she ever read. Death took every crying one, and if she stood a chance, she couldn't cry. She let go of her cell phone as it started to rain, pattering against the parapets, plastic bottles and herself. The sky was crying with her, or at least it felt good to think it was.

~O~

She didn't remember losing consciousness, but when her eyes opened, she smelled antibiotics and latex gloves. Her body was numb. She couldn't move her hands too well, and breathing was a chore. Sitting beside the bed was her older brother, sleeping with a magazine by his side. She tried to put the pieces together: The phone call from him, the making of coffee, the pouring of said-coffee into a travel mug… then nothing. She slowly blinked, trying to get the blurs out of the way to get a better view of the room.

"Lenalee?" Komui jolted up and grasped her hand, tears welling up as his expression turned to joy and sadness. "Oh, God, Lenalee, you're awake! I was so worried!"

"…what… happened…"

"Don't talk," he said, scooting the chair closer. He stroked some of the hair away from her face, letting her see a little better. "I don't know much, but some homeless person called the police when they found you. The doctor said you nearly suffered a fatal crash. A few minutes later and you would have…" He trailed off, gazing at the floor. "I'm so sorry," he finally added. "If I never called you, you never would have got into that accident."

"…my choice," she whispered. She coughed a little. "…water…"

"Ah! I'll get that for you right away." He rose from his seat and left the room in a hurried manner, leaving Lenalee to her own thoughts. She wondered vaguely if anything aside from her ribs were broken. She couldn't really feel her fingers. Maybe something shattered, too. How exciting would that be?

It didn't take him long before he returned with a bottle and a plastic cup in his hands. She noticed how his hair looked more curly than normal and that his glasses were missing. His shirt was also inside out. "Here you go," he said, pouring the liquid in the cup before pressing it against her lips. "Drink slow."

She gratefully drank some before stopping. "…thanks."

"You're welcome." He sat back down before taking her hand again, staring at the floor a moment longer before opening his mouth again. "You have several broken ribs and your arms suffered some damage. Luckily, your legs only got bruises. The way you were thrown off the motorcycle and hit the building wall at sixty miles-per-hour caused heavy damage to your spine, though. It may take months before you can leave."

"…graduate… next year?"

"I'm afraid so." He looked at her sadly. "I'm sorry. You worked so hard, and now you might have to stay behind a year. I have to ask, though. Why did you ride the motorcycle in the first place? You know you don't have your license for it yet…"

She didn't respond. Her reasoning was against her character, and Komui wouldn't believe her in the first place. Her brain, though the thought processes slowed down, tried to think of a lie. "…wasn't thinking… late… wasn't sure if cabs were available…"

He shook his head and sighed. "Well, we might just scrap it, then, but I know how much work you put in for it. I asked my co-worker, Reever, to help me repair it. You totaled it pretty good." He patted his sister affectionately on the forehead. "Don't worry about anything else, alright? Focus on getting better."

She nodded a little before sighing, letting her eyelids droop. "…'kay…"

_Komui, _she heard her own thoughts say, _how can I get better when all I can do is study?_

~O~

For the several months, she resided in the hospital. She missed her graduation and got a phone call from the principal, saying that she exceeded the amount of days allowed to miss and that she would have to stay back a year. She didn't particularly mind. Instead of graduating, she got the longest vacation she had for about three years and more time to look at colleges. That is, if she even wanted to look at colleges.

The afternoon she came home was nice. Komui gave her a big hug as always while Johnny and Reever greeted her. They told her the bike wasn't quite done yet and they had to buy a new one for its engine. The other one apparently was busted beyond repair. She told them that it was fine. They all ate, and she thought she smiled just enough to get by.

"…We'll see you later, okay, Lenalee?" Reever waved as he stepped onto the front porch, heading towards his car. Johnny already left because their boss called him in. "Make sure you don't crash again any time soon."

"I won't!" She waved back at him. "Drive home safe, Reever!"

Komui came up from behind her and hugged her. "Lenaleeee," he whined, "I just got called in, so I'm gonna go to work. You stay home, alright? I don't want you to push yourself just after you got out of the hospital. Tell you what, when I come home, I'll make sure to bring some chocolate cake. Deal?"

"Deal!" She smiled and hugged her brother back. "I'll be looking forward to it!"

He released her from his grip before walking down the front steps of their porch, waving after he got himself settled in the car. She waved back, watching the SUV drive away down the dirt road. The summer sun began setting behind the rolling hills, the neighbor's horses going back inside after a long day of riding. The long grass of her brother's front lawn swayed with the breeze, wild flowers dancing with its rhythm.

She turned back into the house, entering the living room cluttered with magazines and post-it notes. Her brother always kept them around in an unorganized way until it was recycling day. She sighed lightly before going upstairs and down to the end of the hall to her room. It was the same since the last time she was there. The desk was in the left corner, covered with drafts of important papers and deadlines of applications. Her bed was against the wall painted blue (she only painted the one blue and the rest of them yellow), right beside the window where the sunrise never failed to wake her up.

She pushed aside the covers of the bed, feeling around before her hand touched one of her most prized possessions. She slid out the magazine, staring at its cover boasting a Harley Davidson motorbike that was custom-made. She gazed at it a little longer before flipping the pages over to the news section. Since it was about five months ago, she missed it, but it was the annual 'Biker's Meeting'. She desired to go there and see what kind of things riders did, how they rode, and what tricks she could learn.

Sighing, she pushed the magazine back under her bed. She knew dreams rarely came true, and the first time she really tried to ride, she nearly killed herself. She wasn't even certain that she would even approach a motorcycle again. It was the only thing she wanted to do, and now, she wasn't even sure she could do it anymore.

I lost my confidence. She frowned. _Maybe I should just stick with the schoolwork, after all. I don't even know what I could do with a motorcycle. I guess I'll just become the neurologist I claimed to become. That's all I'm good for, isn't it? To be smart. I don't know if that even makes me happy. Next year, I'll apply to Harvard, I guess. They have a great researching place… I have the right GPA and extra-curricular activities, and I'm ranked the top 5% in my class…_

She bit her lower lip hard enough to make it bleed, her eyes brimming with tears. _I have to make my brother happy. My dreams are rendered useless now. I should think about what's best for my future instead of my pleasure._

She crawled on top of the bed before lying down and staring at the ceiling. Her imagination generally took her to the open desert, or some winding road, with the fastest bike on the face of the Earth. This time, however, her imagination took her to a doctor's room, filled with dead or dying patients, one of which being her own brother. He would smile at her out of old age and say,

"You did a good job, Lenalee."

_I know I did. However, is that all I want to accomplish? 'Good'? _She rolled over to her side, trying not to cry again. She was so sick of crying, sick to her stomach. She couldn't get sick, though. Her brother was going to bring home perfectly good chocolate cake, and throwing up meant not getting any chocolaty sweetness. _I'm so bored. I want something exciting to happen to me. I want to become a revolutionary person, living on the edge, instead of living a life of band-aids and sick people._

She closed the curtains and sighed.

_Two weeks until school tomorrow. Might as well hit the books now._

~O~

I realize it is short. It's a prologue. Next chapter will at least be twice this size, I promise, and a lot better. Until then… So! Did you like it? Hate it? Love it? Destroy it? At least a decent plot? It will be better. Hit me with a review, por favor! See you in Chapter 1 (whoa, that's odd. XD)! —Mr. Ree


	2. First Gear: Ignition

Yo! Finally, Chapter 2 of 'Luna Moth' has forthwith arrived! This story was actually based on that group who is a bunch of motorcyclists that save animals, added with the combination of my mother working with homeless people, and something else, but that would reveal the main plot. Can't do that now, can we? Anyways, I got 3 reviews last chapter: Discordant Silence, Hikou no Kokoro, and xXDeath-N'-HellXx! Thank you all so very much! You all keep me motivated! So, let us commence forthwith with Chapter 2 of 'Luna Moth'!

Disclaimer: D. Gray-Man is the property of Katsura Hoshino and Funimation. This series is a parody and nothing more, so please support the official release. Got it? Damn well better.

~O~

2. First Gear: Ignition

Her fingers twitched irritably at the sound of a persistent alarm clock, daring to tell her it was time to get up and get ready for yet another year of high school. She wanted none of that, so she picked up the said-alarm clock and heaved it at the wall, breaking the thing into several pieces. She rolled over, yawning, as Komui walked in, partially shocked.

"Lenalee, what was that noise—?" He glanced over to the wall where the remains of her alarm clock resided. He sighed. "That's the sixth alarm clock you've broken over the course of two weeks. I know you're not happy, but please, at least try to enjoy yourself at high school. It gives you another shot to show who you really are, okay? It's time to get up. I made you chocolate pancakes to boost up your energy! Better hurry before they get cold!"

He left her room, and she rose from beneath the covers, still tired. She was dreading this moment for two weeks now, and now that it was finally here, she wanted to run away. She rummaged through the closet, pulling out a pair of worn jeans and a long-sleeved, v-neck shirt before frowning. She should be in college right now, studying how to become a neurologist or botanist or something in the science field, not to be retaking another year of high school. She changed quickly into her clothes before tying her hair back into a single ponytail instead of the typical twin ponytails and walked down the stairs to see her older brother waiting for her.

"Here you go!" he beamed, handing her a plate of steaming, chocolate pancake goodness. Her mouth salivated at the sight as she immediately stabbed her fork into the meal, chewing slowly on the morsels of chocolate. Her brother was so nice to her. He always took the first day of school off and made her the beloved pancakes she adored. He patted her on the head. "You'll be okay, Lenalee. Everything's going to be okay."

"I know," she replied, finishing off the pancake. "Thank you so much for making me breakfast, brother. I really appreciate it."

"Don't mention it." He took her plate for her and placed it in the sink. "You should hurry up, though. I think you can make it in fifteen minutes on your bicycle, yeah?" He frowned. "Just don't take the motorcycle this time. It still needs some mechanical repairs."

"I know." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before smiling at him. "I'm off, big brother."

"Have a good day! I love you!"

"I love you, too!"

She picked up her bag (which was prepared for school the day before) off the floor and hurried outside to the old bicycle resting against the house. She never wore a helmet because she never saw the purpose of it. Making sure the bag was secure over he shoulders, she began pedaling her way to school, the sun rising just above the horizon. Few cars took the road she lived on as a route, so it was quiet, as always. The trees whispered gently with the wind, the sunlight making the green look like gold rushing past her.

_I could get used to this,_ she thought, _especially if I were on my motorcycle. _

Her hands, out of a moment of boldness, let go of the handles of the bike as she stood on the pedals, letting herself glide with the elongated shadows beneath the tire treads. She sat back down after a moment and grasped the handlebars again, heading towards the high school she did not want to go to for another year.

Her path led her straight to the old building, its fixtures dating back to the early nineteen-hundreds. The doors stood tall as she spotted a few old friends entering the building, along with a few people she cared less about. Those friends were her junior friends, but now, they were in the same age group as her. She held back her frown as she locked her bicycle to the bike rack. Her eyes glanced over to the familiar boy named Allen Walker. Who couldn't recognize the white hair? She realized that he, too, was a senior that year.

Everything seemed so nostalgic, yet at the same time, different. Perhaps the year would be different, too, but part of her knew that was just wishful thinking.

She past through the doors and stepped into the main lobby, dark and dingy with the lack of light. The stairs led up to the first floor hall, which had two sets of doors for the auditorium. Vending machines stood on either side of the doors as the halls extended to the two sides of the building, often referred to as 'the even side' or 'the odd side', a play off the room numbers. All the odd numbered rooms were on the left side of the building, the even on the right. There were three floors in all, if she remembered correctly, not including the gymnasium in the basement below. Her favorite hang-out was the second floor hallway, but she knew none of her old friends were there—Lavi, Kanda, and even Miranda. All of them would be gone.

She sighed as she found her locker and shoved her binders into in, knowing since it was the first day of school, the likelihood of her getting any work was slim at best.

"Oh hoh, look who came back!"

She grimaced as she slammed her locker door shut, standing to look down upon one of her least favorite people, Rhode Camelot. "What do you want?"

The small girl grinned sweetly, yet devilishly at the same time. "Oh, nothing. I just wondered how you were feeling. We all heard about your little accident on that motorcycle of yours. I bet you think you're deserving of sympathy, hm?" She yanked Lenalee's bag away from her and tossed it into the hallway. "Go get it."

She glared at the smaller girl as she walked over to her bag and bent down only to get kicked in the face and into the wall. Rhode laughed loudly as she walked away, shrugging. "You know no one wants you here," she said, "so why did you bother even coming? Everyone hates you, Little-Miss-Perfect. Hah, what an idiot!"

Lenalee groaned as she picked up her bag while getting herself up off the floor. "Who said I was perfect? I'm just trying to make it through another day," she muttered to herself. "And I don't want anyone's sympathy, either."

Her mood slowly deteriorated from there when her schedule turned out to be completely wrong, when her books all were out-of-date, and that a new dress code prohibited the wearing of any jeans in the school. By the time it was lunch, she was ready to give up as she found herself sitting alone at the lunch table. She chewed slowly on her peanut butter sandwich when she noticed Rhode was looking at her with her group of friends and laughing. The others were laughing with her, too.

_Whatever. _She looked down at her sandwich and continued eating. _Laugh at me as much as you want, I'm just here to get my diploma and get into college. _

She advanced to her table, causing Lenalee to glance up at her. Rhode was laughing quietly as she took her lunchbox and threw it to the other end of the table. "Go get it, Little-Miss-Perfect."

"No," she replied, "You go get it."

The smaller girl only leered as she folded her arms across her chest. "What was that, Little-Miss-Perfect? I don't think you should talk to me like that, especially someone with as much power that I have. You think you're so cool, getting into a motorcycle accident and undoubtedly having the scars to show it. All you can do is hide behind your friends and do nothing. That's all you ever do, is it? Either that or you hide behind your stupid, incompetent brother who calls you his 'precious little sister'. Hah, what a joke! He's probably the most idiotic of them a—!"

She had it. She couldn't stop herself as her fist connected to Rhode's slender cheek, knocking the girl back to the table across from her. She picked up her lunchbox as she recoiled, kicking the older girl in the ribs. "You're nothing but a bitch, Lenalee Lee!" she sneered. "A crying, snot-nosed little bitch! Just for that, I'm going to destroy every bit of reputation you have along with your teeny-tiny esteem! After all," she whispered into her ear, "that's what I did to your friend Lavi after you got into that accident."

She kicked her in the gut, causing Rhode to reel back as the teachers rushed towards them. Lenalee tried to tear free from their grasp. "Take it back! What did you do to him? You better not have hurt him while I was gone!"

"I only made him try to commit suicide," she shrugged with a smug grin on her face. "Nothing that bad."

"Get back here!" She wrangled and turned as the number of teachers holding her back increased. "You didn't dare to try and do that! You didn't! Get back here and tell it to my face, right in the eyes!"

"They should've let him out of the mental institution by now," Rhode continued, grin on her face. "Come on, guys, let's go. She's practically crazy."

"Rhode!" she yelled as the teachers forced her out of the auditorium and towards the principle's office. "I won't ever forgive you if what you're telling me is true! Never, you hear me? Never!"

As the teachers forced her out, an individual, sitting quietly by himself, rose an eyebrow after he listened to their conversation. _So, she rides a motorcycle, huh?_

~O~

"...should be very disappointed in yourself, Miss Lee!"

She sat still in the cramped principle's office, her eyes focusing in on her hands. She really messed it up this time, and she knew it. Undoubtedly, this would go on her permanent record and she would get suspended, if not expelled. Rhode set her off on purpose, which annoyed her greatly, especially since she fell for it completely, hook, line, and sinker. The principle's rant became a dull little voice in the back of her head as she wondered what her brother would think. Would he be upset? Well, that was an obvious answer.

Her mind wandered to Lavi, her redheaded, green-eyed friend. She knew he was going through a rough patch of his life around the time of her accident. Rhode, being the manipulative person she was, would easily jump onto a target like that, especially when Kanda was pissed at him for doing something stupid and she herself not being there to encourage him. She wondered where they both were right then, if they were all right and if they were in college, having fun.

"Are you even listening to me, Miss Lee?"

She nodded. "Of course."

The principle sighed. "Last year, you were practically the top of the class, aside from Bookman Junior. I know you got into an accident, but this just isn't acceptable. I'm going to have to call your guardian. Just stay here and don't get into anymore trouble than you already are."

"Yes, sir."

He sighed as he left from his chair, heading towards the main office to use the phone as she stared vacantly out the small window. _Great. I'm definitely done for now. There goes my scholarships and everything else._ She groaned a little as she imagined her brother's face, all upset and sad. He would probably not say anything the whole ride home and wouldn't even look at her until they pulled up to the driveway. He always did that when he was upset.

She furrowed her eyebrows as she groaned again, the door opening. She expected to see the principle again, but instead it was that white-haired kid, Allen Walker. He smiled briefly as he closed the door behind him, sitting in the chair next to her. "I apologize on Rhode's behalf," he started, eying the principle's food on the table. "I should have stepped in before it got too brutal, but I cannot stop her myself."

"You're telling me," she muttered. "Why are you even here?"

"Well," he said, shrugging, "I am here, mostly, to propose an offer to you."

"An offer?"

He nodded. "Yes. I figured, since you got into a motorcycle accident, that you held an interest in motorcycles. It is strange, though. I never pinned you as the type to ride one. Let me ask you this, Miss Lee—"

"Lenalee," she corrected. "Miss Lee is too formal."

"Alright," he nodded. "Lenalee. Let me ask you, how much do you like motorcycles?"

She paused, eying the kid suspiciously. Granted, she knew his name and all, but this was the sort of person who kept to himself and never spoke much on anything. He was friendly, smiled a lot, seemed partially sane compared to everyone else attending the school, but there was still something about his mannerisms that tipped her off as something odd. "I like motorbikes," she finally confessed. "I used to have a huge passion for them."

"Used to?"

"Up until the accident, yes."

He helped himself to some of the principle's food, unwrapping the piece of chocolate and popping it into his mouth. He chewed slowly for a moment before swallowing. "Huh. I can understand that. I want to know, though, if you still like riding motorcycles, though. Are you willing to get on one again?"

She nodded. "Yes. Maybe not too quickly, but I still love them."

"Hm." He folded the wrapper a few times, intently making a shape out of it. "I guess you'd be good enough, then. Lenalee, I am part of a biker group that calls itself 'The Black Order'. We're what we call an 'anti-gang'—in other words, a group focused on getting people clean and back into high school, college, off of drugs, off the streets, you name it, we generally do it. We're still small, and we're still trying to help people out for over a year now." He handed her a metallic paper crane and smiled. "Are you in the least bit interested? Someone with your passion for people would fit right in."

She took the crane out of his hands, unsure of what to say. He smiled again.

"Don't worry about having to answer me right away. Just call me whenever you made up your mind. Until then, Lenalee."

He rose from his seat.

"Wait!" she called out, making him pause at the door. "I don't have your phone number."

"Yes you do," he replied, opening the door and stepping out of the room. She stared at the door for a few moments before glancing at the crane. She unfolded it to see seven numbers strewn out in permanent marker. She held back a laugh.

_That kid's good. Must be a magician or something._

The principle came back not too long afterward, her brother following behind him. The two siblings exchanged brief glances before he sat down where Allen was sitting, a solemn expression on his face. Her eyes remained downcast as the principle explained what happened.

"At best, she's looking at two weeks of suspension," the principle said. "At worst, she facing expulsion. I do not want that to happen to her, so I'm going to be lenient and give her the two weeks to get her mind all straight. I know she is a good kid, but she needs to keep her temper under control next time."

"Understood," Komui replied.

"Miss Lee," the principle continued, "I do hope you think over your actions seriously over this suspension, and I hope to see your mood changed."

"Yes, sir."

"Good." He rose from his desk. "Sorry to walk out, but I have a meeting to attend to."

Komui only nodded as he rose as well, Lenalee following behind him slowly. The two walked towards his car as she grabbed her bicycle from the bike rack and hooked it to the vehicle. She sat in the front passenger's seat as he drove silently, staring straight ahead. The silence loomed over them uncomfortably as the car rolled up to a stoplight. He sighed.

"Lenalee, do you want to tell me what that was all about?"

"I don't think I have the right to say," she responded, staring at the pavement.

He sighed again. "You know you do. Come on, talk to me. I know something is on your mind for you to explode like that."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"I don't want a half-hearted apology from you."

"I know."

"Lenalee... You know what, fine. When you want to talk, we'll talk. I don't want to force you into anything, alright? Just take a few days to get your thoughts collected."

She sighed lightly as the car started up again, driving down the shadow-splotched pavement and towards their house. It loomed above her as she stepped out, bag slung over her shoulder and hand in her pocket, clenching the chocolate wrapper that Allen gave her earlier. Komui entered the house first, walking towards the kitchen as Lenalee immediately headed upstairs, closing the door behind her. She tore through her drawers to find her favorite motorcycle magazine, proclaiming a homemade motorcycle with a Harley-based engine. It held a steam-punk motif with it running off of water instead of oil. She sighed at the image, pushing the magazine aside.

_I really shouldn't. _She glanced back at it, then flipped through the pages of the magazine._ I mean, I worked so hard and had a little mishap today, but does that really mean I should get back into my groove of loving motorcycles? I don't think so. It's a very reckless wish. I would probably get hurt again, hurt Komui, hurt everyone I know. I couldn't do that to them again._

She ruffled through her pocket and pulled out the chocolate wrapper, staring at the proudly-gleam numbers written sloppily with permanent marker. _Besides, I barely know this person, and I don't even know what an 'anti-gang' is, even though he explained it to me. How does that even work? I'd be getting myself into serious trouble if I accepted his offer. I can't afford to get into anymore trouble._

"_You got another high mark on a quiz?"_

She blinked, the memory of last year suddenly popping into her head. She could hear herself sigh.

"_Yeah, I guess."_

"_Why the glum look?"_

"_I just don't care about high grades anymore. It seems as if it's all I can do at the sacrifice of what I really want to do. You don't have to ever worry, though. You've already decided that being smart is your path, but I want something else. Do you get what I'm saying here, Lavi?"_

"_Yeah, I do. Listen, Lenalee. If you wanna do something, do it. In reality, you are in control of your own life, and you live with the consequences. No one controls you, not even me, not even the principle of this school, not even your brother or parents, for that matter. It's you. And if you want to do something you love, then do it. Forget about everything else and go straight for it. Otherwise, you really did work for nothing."_

She glanced back at the magazine. At the time he said that, she replied with a, 'I can't do that to my family', and he only shrugged. But now, as she sat there with the number in her lap, the motorcycle calling out to her, she really saw what Lavi meant back then. He was right, as generally was, in the end. She thanked him mentally as she reached for the phone and dialed the number, knowing that he wouldn't be home.

"Hi, Allen," she said quickly. "This is Lenalee Lee. I was thinking about that offer you told me about earlier, and I want to tell you that I accept it. I don't know what else I'm supposed to do, whether to set a time with you or something, but you now have my number, so call me back when you get the chance. Thanks."

She hung up the phone, putting the wrapper beneath her pillow as she felt a swell of excitement build up in her chest. For the first time in a long time, she really felt as if she did something important, that this was her chance to finally escape from the confides of school and do what she really wants to do.

Now all she needed to do was hatch a plan for how to get back at Rhode. That is, if she had the nerve.

~O~

Whoot! Chapter 2, done! So! Did you like it? Hate it? Love it? Destroy it? Hit me with a review, por favor! It is very greatly appreciated, yatta! By the way, the plot is thickening rather quickly, especially between Rhode and Lenalee... Ufufu... See you all later in Chapter 3! —Mr. Ree


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